The American Spectator

AND THAT IS WHAT happens, endlessly. The entire history of Islam is a story of superfluous males going off into the desert (literally or figuratively) and deciding that the religion being practiced by the well-furnished elites of the cities is “not the true Islam.” They then burst back upon the cities, violently attempting to overthrow the established authority. The Shi’ites, the Wahabis, the Assassins (yes, that’s the origin of the word), the Muslim Brotherhood — all are the fruit of this eternal warfare in Moslem societies between the “ins” and the “outs.”

The only defense Islam has been able to construct for itself is to recruit these unattached males, inculcate them into the religion, and convince them that if they turn their violence and sexual frustrations outward¸ they will be rewarded with “70 virgins in heaven.” This is how the ranks of martyrs and suicide bombers are created.

Martyrs and suicide bombers are men who have internalized the fundamental axiom of polygamous society — that some men are expendable. When Muslim warriors proclaim, “We love death,” they are not kidding. Golda Meir said famously that the Palestinian conflict would end when Arabs loved their own children more than they hated Israelis. That moment is not likely to arrive any time soon. In a polygamous Islamic society, some men’s lives have very little intrinsic value. They are literally better off seeking death.

Monogamy, on the other hand, fulfills the proclamation that “All Men Are Created Equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Monogamy is the social contract — albeit poorly understood and little appreciated — that lies at the heart of the relatively peaceful societies of Europe and the Orient.

It is no accident that Islam has “bloody borders” with both these civilizations. We practice different social customs that give human life very different values. If the UN wanted to something really useful, it would declare reproductive equality a “human right” and ban polygamy throughout the world. Don’t hold your breath.

In the meantime, do we really want to get in a spitting fight with these people? The military used to warn about “land war in Asia” — getting into a war of attrition with overpopulated countries that didn’t mind sacrificing millions and “had no respect for human life.” Well Islamic societies are worse. They are constantly throwing up “suicide brigades” of young martyrs and fanatics who literally welcome death.

SO WHAT SHOULD WE do? Since we have accomplished out mission of removing Saddam Hussein, I suggest we pack up and leave. The world is now a safer place, there are no nuclear weapons in Iraq waiting to be pointed at Israel or America, and we can now regroup and gird ourselves for the next confrontation in Pakistan or Syria or wherever it may take place. Al Qaeda will be no better able to penetrate our defenses than it has been for the past two-and-a-half years. We are never going to “teach a lesson” to these people. They have already learned their lessons.

Or here’s another possibility. Let’s hold a national referendum on June 30th — do you want us to stay or go? We’ll abide by the results. If they want us to stay, we’ll turn peacekeeping over to the Iraqis and continue humanitarian aid wherever possible. If they tell us to go, fine. Call it a democracy and the hell with it.

Will Iraq dissolve into chaos? Almost certainly. So who cares? Moslems were killing each other long before we arrived and they will continue killing each other long after we leave. Spending the next five years trying to impose our way of life on them will only turn things from bad to worse. Ann Coulter probably had the right idea when she said we should convert them to Christianity. Anything less is likely to fail. And remember, like the Athenians, we still have to get our troops out of there at some point.

But what about all those wonderful plans for a “little America” - a free press, a market economy, the FCC? Let’s make a deal. If the Iraqis ever decide who’s boss and ask us to come back in and help them build them a modern society, we’ll be happy to do it.

Meanwhile, keep in mind the old admonition from that guy Kipling (who wasn’t nearly as bad as people say):

blockquote> em>Take up the [American’s] burden — br> The savage wars of peace — br> Fill full the mouth of Famine